The red pencil of salvation

Ok, so maybe editing hasn't just perked me up. It's completely turned me back around. I've already mentioned how I've been feeling lately, but just keeping my nose against the proverbial (and sometimes very real) grindstone has done wonders. All you need to do is look back to some of the other editing posts on here to know it's a cruel mistress. And you only need to read the posts to know I cannot afford to put real books out there without editing. It's necessary, but sometimes an outright ball-buster. Some writers love the process. I'm not one of those. Of course my stuff needs just as much polish (if not more) than anyone else's, but editing can be a tedious, disheartening study of comma placement and how crappy your original ideas were.

SKINNER is the exception for me because just getting my hands on it is so nice after letting it drift around out there for months without hearing anything. Putting the little tweaks to a vicious werewolf attack just makes me feel all special inside. The weather is gloomy, cold and rainy, but I get to discuss the finer points of what makes a Nymar tick and how much punishment they can take. Sweeeeet.

The release of the book is still a ways off, but this makes it a lot easier to bear. Also, it won't be long before I start writing the second one. Yeah...writing the second months before the first hits the store. Publishing houses have their gears to grind too and that wait will be just as hard as this one. That gives me some more time to come up with new and creative ways to rip someone apart. Damn, I love my job.

On a different note, Cloverfield hits DVD soon. I can't wait! Actually, I think I'll get into that after I watch it again. Back to editing. YAY!

I needed this

I always love my job. Writing is always what I wanted to do and I've been doing it since waaaay before I ever got paid for it. Most of the times, it's great. Some of the times, it's not so great. Just like any job, no big news there. Unfortunately, when it's not so great I don't feel bored with doing certain reports or angry with some boss. It's just me and my craft. When I'm unhappy with it, I'm pissed at myself and angry that I can't do the one thing I'm sort of good at. On those days, it's hard to do much but grit my teeth and get through it.

As you may have guessed, I've been going through a not-so-great time lately and have needed something to lift my spirits. Desperately needed it. Oddly enough, editing has helped. Sometimes the bane of my existence, just getting my hands dirty and working on copy edits for SKINNER #1 has perked me up. Also, I saw the video below. Thanks, Attack of the Show.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=yGXkPA0bJIw (note: This link has since been taken down, but it was a video of AOTS host Kevin P. jumping face-first onto a big red balloon, popping said balloon and landing face first onto the floor. You had to be there.)

Her journey is now complete

It has finally happened. I needed to work and my wife wanted to shoot some virtual dudes, so she asked, "What's a game I can play other than Army of Two where I can shoot stuff and blow stuff up?"

Knowing she likes 3rd person games (and since this was part of my evil plan all along), I innocently looked at her and replied, "Hmmm...there's Gears of War."

"Let's try it."

After her first chainsaw kill, she was hooked. It happened as I had foreseen. When she strikes me down in multiplayer, I will become more powerful than she could possibly imagine.

No image available

I was putzing around on Amazon.com and found a listing for Skinners #1. The release date looms waaay in the distance (Nov. 25), but it's cool to actually see a hint of it out there in the real world. With all the editing, fussing and general anticipation surrounding this first book (At least in my head, anyway) it feels good to get a peek of it as something that will actually happen. This isn't my first thing to be published, but I seriously cannot wait to get it out there. The spot on Amazon didn't have a pic of the cover, no real description, and nothing but the bare facts and STILL it made me smile.

Ok...I may have done a quick lap around my desk, but that's it. Believe me, that's an image you DON'T want.

Something that's actually worth the wait

Tonight is the season 4 premier of Battlestar Galactica. I already posted about it earlier, so I won't go on too long about it. Let's just say I'm pumped, anxious to see where they go, and eager to have all of my predictions proven wrong. I've been watching all the half-hour specials on Sci-Fi intended to work everyone up into a lather and it's great to see all the creators working hard to actually make the ending great. Whenever there's a special about the last days of a show and all they can talk about is how great it was to be on the set or how they made so many friends, I get worried. Hey! What about making the actual show?? Any fans of the Highlander TV series out there? Remember how seasons 1-5 were mostly great and season 6 went down the crapper? It was like they let everyone go home and then remembered they had to do the actual episodes. BSG hasn't disappointed yet and it looks like they've got their stuff together for the finale. YESSSS!

Not exactly nothing, but close

So, for all the 1 or possibly 3 people who read this, you may have noticed there’s not a lot of writing talk going on. No real news on that front at the moment. I’ve told other new writers that waiting is a huge part of the process and this is one of those times. That’s not a bad thing, but it just. . .is.

Let’s see. What’s happening? At the moment, I’m taking a few days off in between other projects. Just finished one and will start another tomorrow. My wife will be leaving town on business next week (ONE of us has a steady job at least. Heh. My little Sugar Mama). That will give me plenty of time to focus on my next project, which is a ghost writing gig that should be fun.

On the Skinner front, I received the cover copy not too long ago. That’s the description that goes on the back of the book for those who were wondering. There were parts of it I loved and parts I wasn’t crazy about, but I couldn’t really think of anything that was any better. Since I believe you shouldn’t bitch unless you’ve got something better up your sleeve, I let it be. Then, the more I looked at it, a few things popped into my head and I eventually wrote out a second draft and sent it to my editor, Peter. What followed was a frantic day or two of me wondering why the hell Peter wasn’t getting back to me when he was probably just in meetings, working with someone else or just taking the day off. I, of course, responded by sending a few increasingly panicked emails and followed up with a phone call. See what waiting does to some people? In my own defense, I wanted to make sure I was in time to change stuff before it got set in stone or whatever other medium they use. Along with the cover art (which is un-freaking-believably great), the cover copy is what prompts lots of people to buy a book in the first place. It’s important and I wanted to make sure the (hopefully) better version made it on there. Finally, Peter shot me a quick email telling me to take a breath and there was no problem changing it.

Drama, huh? Well, on my end anyway. Normally, working on my own is fine. Sometimes, though, I get a little stir crazy and these things happen. I’m sure I’m not the only one and Peter’s eyeballs must know just how to roll when he gets the occasional string of frantic emails from me about stupid crap that takes all of three minutes to fix.

This leads me to another topic that’s been driving me crazy. Since the whole copy thing blew over without incident, I’ve fixed upon something else to worry about. When Skinner comes out, will it be any good? Will ANYONE read it? It goes on from there, but you get the gist. More typical crap from someone with too much time on his hands. See, this is why I likes me video games so much. I can’t obsess about this kind of garbage when I’m lining up head shots or trying desperately to beat the Rock Band guitar career on Expert (I’m stuck on the last set and doubt I’ll ever beat the Outlaws song.)

So that’s it for now. Just a big verbal treadmill. A whole lot of running, sweating and wheezing without moving an inch. Except for the copy, because that really was important. And then…all right. I’m done now. Breathe.

That’s better.

To d or not to d

I was watching Underworld the other night. Am I the only one who keeps adding an unnecessary d into Kate Beckisale's name? I hear people say it correctly. I see there's no d after the s, but I STILL keep saying Kate Beckinsdale. Maybe I'm just getting distracted by those tight black outfits or choked up by that last "face in the clouds" scene from Van Helsing. Or maybe I'm just a freaking idiot.